ST Conference Preview

A record-breaking number of abstracts—more than 750—have been submitted for OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona, which will take place September 19 to 22 on Hawaii’s Big Island. The conference is a major international forum for scientists, engineers and ocean users to present research, ideas, developments and applications in oceanic engineering and marine technology.

The conference, sponsored by the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the Oceanic Engineering Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE/OES), will be held at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Kohala Coast.

The theme for this year’s conference is “Oceans of Opportunity: International Cooperation and Partnerships Across the Pacific.” The conference will also include 94 papers from the International Symposium on Underwater Technology, which was canceled because of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Honorary co-chairs for the conference are Brian Taylor, dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, and Billy Kenoi, mayor of the Big Island. General co-chairs are John Wiltshire, director of the Hawai‘i Undersea Research Laboratory at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, and Alan Hilton, technical director of the National Defense Center of Excellence for Research in Ocean Sciences. Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie will speak at the opening plenary session.

The OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona trade show will include leading ocean technology and engineering companies from around the world.


Technical Program
Plenary keynote speakers include Marcia McNutt, director of the U.S. Geological Survey; Mike Utsler, chief operating officer of the BP Gulf Coast Restoration Organization; and Eddie Bernard, former director of NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.

Also speaking are Masanao Shinohara of the University of Tokyo and Yoshiyuki Kaneda of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, who will make presentations originally scheduled for the International Symposium on Underwater Technology. Abstract topics are available online.

Tutorials and Workshops
Nine tutorials are available for full- and half-day sessions on a variety of technical topics, including imaging technologies, autonomous vehicles, ocean energy, modeling and a business-oriented tutorial for companies seeking work with government customers in the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies. Tutorials are conducted under the auspices of the International Association of Continuing Education and Training, and participants may be eligible for continuing education certificates. For more information about the tutorial program and its fees, e-mail tutorial@oceans11mtsieeekona.org.

The program also has a number of free workshops. Donna Kocak and Eddie Bernard will present a workshop on local tsunami detection, assessment and warning guidance. Francoise Pearlman will lead the GEOSS Workshop XLII, and Michael J. Larkin will lead “Partnerships Across the Pacific: Ocean Technology Collaborations with Government, Academia and Industry.”


Student Programs
One mission of OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona is to foster and encourage participation by undergraduate and postgraduate engineering or science students. Students who attend the conference can interact with leading technical experts and network for future employment opportunities.

The student poster competition will be judged by experts in the respective fields, given awards and displayed during the conference. Students accepted for the poster program will receive a travel allowance, complimentary registration, and their work will be included in the IEEE Xplore digital library.


Free Opportunities for Educators
The conference this year will feature a free education symposium on September 17, with full- and half-day workshops for elementary to high school teachers. These workshops will provide educators with background information, lessons and teaching resources on Pacific coral reefs and climate change, sounds in the ocean, and ocean exploration in the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. Educators can preregister online for this free program.

Teachers for grades sixth through 12th can opt to participate in two hands-on, off-site workshops offered September 17: “ROV-in-a-Bag” and another workshop, “Student-Enabled Network of Sensors for the Environment Using Innovative Technology.”


Additional Conference Highlights
A special tour of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority will be offered as an optional activity to conference attendees. At the laboratory’s 870-acre site on the Big Island, commercial and noncommercial organizations explore opportunities for alternative energy production, solar-based energy techniques, aquaculture, marine biotechnology, desalination and cold-water agriculture systems.


Registration
Registration is available in a variety of categories, from full conference registration, with discounts for MTS and OES members, to student nonmembers. For more information, visit www.oceans11mtsieeekona.org.

Exhibitors List
The following list of exhibitors was updated as of press time: